The healthcare industry's largest health IT gathering, HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition, kicks off this Sunday in Chicago. Expected to be even larger than last year's 38,000-attendee gathering, the massive educational and exhibition event will feature more than 1,200 vendors and organizations (Cerner and Epic are clocking in with the biggest booths, at 12,200 and 9,350 square feet, respectively).
Healthcare Dive will be joining other industry members in Chicago this week to talk about some of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the healthcare IT industry today. Here are four topics we expect to hear the most about over the coming week, and some of the best opportunities to hear them discussed by experts.
1. Interoperability
The ONC's Interoperability Roadmap, released at the beginning of the year, continues to draw mixed reactions as the industry struggles to achieve genuine interoperability. While some argue the document is too vague, HIMSS this week praised the agency for not shackling the industry with a strict prescriptive pathway. This is sure to be a hot topic in Chicago.
HIMSS also informed the ONC this week that it will be launching a voluntary EHR interoperability testing and certification program, so expect to hear more about this initiative next week.
Not to be missed:
8:30 AM on Wednesday, a group that includes Epic President Carl Dvorak will introduce the HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources standard, make a business case for the utilization of FHIR and describe the role of the Argonauts in its adoption trajectory.
2. Data security
Although Phase 2 of the federal HIPAA audit program, originally scheduled to begin last October, is still officially on hold, security concerns are top-of-mind in the wake of massive breaches to Anthem and Premera Blue Cross. Panels will discuss the cyber threat landscape from the FBI perspective (and its impact on healthcare), legal recourse for potential external vulnerabilities in providers' data security protocols and how to get ahead of potential threats.
Not to be missed:
Monday at 10 AM, UCLA clinical professor of medicine Keith Klein will present four medical legal cases where EHR deficiencies led to cumulative awards of over $30 million, as well as identifying the most common errors that lead to EHR-related litigation.
3. Meaningful Use Stage 3
CMS is seeking comment on the proposed rules for Meaningful Use Stage 3 until May 29, and those comments will likely on the tip of many tongues at HIMSS. HHS touts the proposed rules as adding flexibility and simplicity in the effort to implement interoperability and increase the focus on patient outcomes—but the proposal isn't without its pros and cons, according to industry experts.
Not to be missed:
Monday at 1 PM, Robert Anthony, deputy director of CMS' quality measurement and health assessment group, and Elizabeth Myers, lead policy and outreach for eHealth initiatives in CMS' health IT division, will brief providers on what to expect in Stage 3.
4. Innovation
While "finding time for innovation amidst the swirl of must-do projects can be a challenge," as Beth Israel Deaconess' CIO John Halamka writes, HIMSS is the hub for new clinical technology applications. In addition to the vast vendor presence on the exhibition floor, HX360, a joint effort between HIMSS and AVIA to reinvent care delivery, will be running Monday and Tuesday. The event puts the spotlight on IT innovation through an executive program, an innovation challenge and an innovation pavilion.
Not to be missed:
Many vendors will be launching new products during the conference, including UPMC's new product Fluence—a software platform that the company says offers "a consolidated view of key patient health data"—and MedeAnalytic's Performance Management, a "'closed loop' analytics and execution-driven performance improvement solution."